


Relief

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-24
Updated: 2008-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-25 06:03:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1635452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jocelyn's confession turns Clary's world upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Relief

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas!!!
> 
> Written for marcyjo

 

 

Clary sat on the soft grass with her arms wrapped around her legs, chin resting on her knees. She stared across the dark water of the lake in front of her, knowing that beneath the surface lay the Seelie Court. It was there, in the realm of the faeries, that she had shared a kiss with Jace that had changed everything. She could still feel his lips on hers, even though more than a month had passed. The automatic response of their bodies made it impossible to hide their feelings from the others. Clary blinked and felt warm tears slide down her cheeks as she remembered the look on Simon's face when the kiss broke. Simon, her wonderful friend, would never get to feel the beat of his own heart, another consequence that had come from her feelings. She cried tonight for all the people who had been hurt since she met Jace. 

A cool, night breeze stirred her hair and dried the tears on her face. Clary took a deep breath in an effort to regain her composure. She wanted nothing more than to let the sobs wash over her; thus, she held them in. She worked backwards through the memories of what led her to this place. Walking across the grass, the moisture of the night dew seeping through her shoes, soaking her socks. Sitting on the subway, staring through the windows as the tunnel walls flew past. Clutching her stomach as she rode the elevator to the hospital lobby. Staring into Jace's eyes, not knowing what to do or say. Hearing the words come out of Jocelyn's mouth and not believing. 

"Jace, you aren't my son. As much as I would love to be your Mother, I'm not."

Clary had wished for the floor to open up and let her crawl in, away from this madness. Waves of anger flooded her as she stared at Jocelyn. How could she have put herself in a coma and let Clary go through all of this without her? She hadn't left as much as a hint of explanation for Clary. Didn't Jocelyn realize that if she had been in danger, Clary would have been too? If she'd had this information before so many things could have been avoided. Her world would be whole and no one would be in pain. She couldn't look at Jocelyn, couldn't even stand to be in a room with her. She had walked out and hadn't stopped until she reached the lake. 

She sighed and lay back on the grass, her shirt growing damp like her socks. Clary barely noticed the wet or the cold as she stared at the sky, trying to discern one constellation from the other. She focused on the moon and let her vision blur, eventually closing her eyes and drifting to sleep. 

Jace's face filled her dreams. Stolen moments replayed themselves in her unconscious mind, his lips warm on hers, the heat radiating from his body warming her. Images of him fighting alongside Alec, his muscles flexing and skin glistening with sweat. Clary sighed as she heard Jace say her name once, twice, three times.

"You realize that the city of New York frowns on loitering, right?" 

Clary was awake at once, but didn't open her eyes. Her dreams had been so real that she wasn't sure if the voice was a continuation or not. The thought of expecting Jace to be there only to open her eyes and see empty space was heart breaking. A single tear seeped out from behind her eyelids and slid down her cheek. A cold finger caught the tear and wiped it away. A sob of relief escaped as Clary opened her eyes to see Jace squatting on the wet grass beside her.

"Hi," he said and held out a hand. Clary took it and Jace gave a little tug, pulling her up to sitting. 

They sat cross-legged with knees touching for several minutes, just looking at each other. Clary broke her gaze first and began studying her hands. She wasn't sure what to say or do. She wanted to curl up in his arms and let him hold her. She wished he would say something, anything. No, not anything. She wanted to hear him say that he loved her and that they could be together now. Along with that wish was a feeling of dread that too much had happened between them; she was afraid it was too much to hope for anymore. 

"Look at me, please," Jace said, an undertone of begging in his voice. When Clary didn't move, he crooked a finger under her chin and gently tilted her head up. "It took me too long to find you to sit here and watch you examine your hands. Why did you leave? I can probably guess, but I want you to tell me."

"I couldn't be in the room with her anymore," she explained. "I was so happy that it worked, that she was finally awake. I had missed her so much. When she said that you weren't her son I was completely overwhelmed. I got so angry at her for leaving me when I needed her so much."

"It would have been easier if you had hit her or something," Jace said teasingly. 

Clary laughed. "You're only saying that because then you wouldn't have had to find me. And there would have been violence."

Jace shrugged. "So?"

"Jace, what do we do now? I mean, um, what do you want?" Clary asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer, but knew the question needed to be asked. 

He leaned closer and cupped her face with his warm hands, preventing her from looking away. 

"Clary, I want you."

She laughed with relief and struggled to still her quivering chin. There would be no more crying. A grin spread over her face, stretching from ear to ear. Jace stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, and then rubbed them across her soft lips. Grinning, he brought his face closer to hers and paused for what felt like an eternity before touching his lips to hers. 

The tenderness of the kiss made Clary's bones turn to rubber. She moved her lips softly over his, and then surprised them both by rising to her knees and gently pushing Jace so that he lay on the grass, her body on top of his. She was desperate for contact and the comfort it would provide. After months of longing for nothing but his embrace, this was no time to be coy. 

Jace pulled her tightly against his body by pressing one hand onto her lower back and fisting the other in her long red hair. Clary's lips moved from his as she planted kiss after kiss along his jaw line. She used her tongue to tease a slow trail down his neck and over his shoulder. Jace's fingers slipped beneath her shirt and traced slow circles over her lower back as she kissed along his collarbone. He let out a small moan when Clary sat up to look into his eyes. She brushed golden hair away from his face. 

"Jace." That one word from her lips held his entire world. It was at that moment he realized how much he had missed her. Sure, she had been beside him through it all, but as a sister. Now she could be the love and support he had longed for. He wasn't sure when he would say all of this out loud to her, when he would reveal that intimate part of him that he tried to hide from the world. Something in his heart told him she already knew. 

In one swift movement, he rolled so that Clary was beneath him. This time it was her hands that slid under the fabric, pushing Jace's shirt up and sliding her hands over rippling muscles. She wrapped her leg around Jace's body, increasing the pressure between their bodies. She could feel Jace's need and desire for her as his hips bucked gently against hers. She arched her back and moaned softly as his lips traveled to the soft, sensitive skin below her ear. The trail his lips and hands made over her skin was electric. She felt his lips smile against her neck. He pulled away momentarily, looked into her eyes, and smiled in a way that had her heart skipping several beats. 

"Have I mentioned that I'm glad you aren't my sister?" 

 


End file.
